Council recognised for its quality volunteering programmes

The Charter for Volunteering Mark has been set up by York CVS as a way of helping to raise the standard of volunteering programmes across the city. The council is only the second organisation to be awarded the Mark, following the National Railway Museum’s success earlier this year.

The council supports a network of around 1,700 volunteers who lend their time and expertise in a wide range of opportunities linked to the organisation. These include snow wardens, school governors, mentors for looked after children, walking and cycling leaders and volunteers who support adult learning and projects in parks and open spaces.

The Mark has been awarded for the quality of the volunteering programmes which are assessed against eight different charter principles. These standards include offering opportunities which are safe, enjoyable and of a high quality. All council volunteers have a voice and benefit from a supportive network of around 40 dedicated volunteer leaders. Most importantly the programmes make a real and positive contribution to improving the lives of others in the city, as well as offering personal development opportunities to the volunteers themselves.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism with responsibility for Volunteering said: “We’re proud to accept this Charter Mark which recognises the professionalism of our volunteering programmes. The award confirms that volunteers who can give even a little in any of our programmes can expect to get a lot out of it and we’d encourage anyone who thinks they may be able to volunteer to get in touch with us.”

For more information on volunteering with City of York Council contact Michal Czekajlo, Volunteer Co-ordinator on michal.czekajlo@york.gov.uk or call 01904 551841

Help needed to foster severely disabled children in York

A new phase of recruiting foster carers in York is rolling out this month with an emphasis on the need for foster placements for severely disabled children.

City of York Council has vacancies for short breaks carers to help children and young people with disabilities, as part of a regular and supported package of care for them and their family.

The breaks can be anything from a few hours to a few days or up to a month, for children with a permanent and substantial impairment or illness. Carers are supported to involve the children to take part in family or local activities, make new friends and gain independence. This gives families a break from caring plus the reassurance that their child is safe and enjoying positive new experiences.

People with room in their home, hearts and schedule for these special breaks are trained, fully supported and equipped throughout. Many decide to offer short breaks after having had experience of caring for their own or other children with a disability or having had a professional role in education, social care or nursing.

These contract foster carers are paid to provide a series of short breaks during the year for up to seven different children and are allocated time off to recharge their own batteries, as part of their remuneration package.

The council’s Short Breaks team has immediate vacancies and is eager to hear from committed individuals who believe that they have the spare time, energy and commitment to offer short breaks fostering in their own home.

The council’s Fostering Team is also keen to recruit people interested in offering a caring and loving home for children who are looked after away from their families. Short time fostering – up to 12 months – and longer term fostering – until young people reach adulthood – is needed, especially for those who can care for teenagers and young people with additional needs. The remuneration, training and support is substantial.

Jo Clarke, a York foster carer and forensic psychologist, said: “I started my fostering career when my daughter was six. We provided short breaks to a six-year-old girl who had special needs and was living at home with her family. It felt amazing to be able to offer this support to the family who might otherwise have had to consider residential care for their daughter. Bizarrely sometimes the more challenging it was, the more worthwhile it felt, because you realised how much the family needed a break. It was also hugely beneficial to my daughter, who has grown up with a real understanding of disability and a much stronger appreciation of what she’s got. This was such an overwhelmingly positive experience, that we decided to take another step and now we are full time, permanent foster carers to a young man who came to us four years ago, when he was eight. My daughter says fostering has been the best thing ever and has shaped who she has become. For me, I can’t imagine any job more rewarding.”

For an informal chat about short breaks and fostering, please contact shortbreaks@york.gov.uk or call 01904 555699 or please go to www.york.gov.uk/shortbreakfostercarer.

Primary school applications open

Parents and carers of children born between 1 September 2011 and 31 August 2012, are invited to apply for a place in the reception class at their chosen York state primary school.

All details and answers to frequently asked questions can be found at www.york.gov.uk/guideforparents. The guide, updated for 2016 admissions, contains information on school admissions and appeals processes as well as information on admissions statistics, oversubscription criteria and other information for parents and carers. Also online are details for service families and information on fair access.

School contact details are also available through this website, to help parents and carers to find out when any open days might be held or to arrange school visits.

A spokesman said: “We have enough places for all known primary school children in York. While the national deadline for applications is 15 January 2016 and seems a long way off, we would advise parents to consider and act on this important matter as soon as possible. They will be told which school their child has a place at on 18 April 2016.”

For more detailed information, please email: education@york.gov.uk or call 01904 551 554.

Syria Refugee Support

The Council has issued the following statement,

“City of York Council would like to thank residents for the many kind offers of support in respect of the Syria refugee situation.

City of York Council would like to thank residents for the many kind offers of support in respect of the Syria refugee situation. The Government is leading on developing the scheme for resettlement of refugees and you can find further information on their website.

The council is meeting partners from across the city to identify how York can best provide support, as we await information from the Government on how the process of resettlement will work.

Anyone wishing to provide accommodation should contact media@york.gov.uk in the first instance, providing full details of any assistance you can provide. We will then be able to contact you once we have further information on the process for providing accommodation.

If you are wishing to offer a donation or other assistance, you can also email this address and we will pass your details to organisations already working hard to support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK”.

Glen Lodge set for care and accommodation expansion

Tenants of Glen Lodge on Sixth Avenue will be asked for their views on plans to extend existing care provision to 24/7 at this popular scheme, and to build a 27 home extension.

On 16 September, tenants have been invited to a drop-in session with council officers who will answer questions and explain the plans as part of the city’s project to improve older person’s accommodation.

With York’s population of people aged 75 and older expected to rise by 50 per cent by 2030, and with the popularity and quality of its current provision at Glen Lodge and extra care services at Auden House, these new plans are part of a city-wide scheme to modernise accommodation for older people.

The programme seeks to address the needs of York’s ageing population by making the best use of existing sheltered housing, by offering people with higher care needs the services and accommodation they need now and in the future.

The tenants will be shown plans to extend Glen Lodge’s current extra care provision from 7am-11pm to 24/7, from spring 2016. Then, the plan is to build a further 25 flats and two bungalows, whose tenants can use the extra care services as their needs change. Any inconvenience caused by the building works will be minimised as much as it can be.

The plans aim to help older people to stay independent in their own home for as long as possible while offering a choice of accommodation to meet their requirements.

Glen Lodge has been identified as a good site to extend both the care provision and the building, because there is already a scheme with good facilities and an established care provision during the day.

Tenants unable to make this session will be given individual briefings and more information will be shared as the project progresses to keep tenants up-to-date. People living in the wider neighbourhood will shortly be invited to their own information sessions.

What’s on: Computationally creative? Cards and codes

Cards at Clifton Library Weds 16 Sept

Coding at Rougier House Weds 30 Sept

If you’re more of a ‘traditional creative’ why not try your hand at creating beautiful handmade cards from a selection of wonderful images on a CD? Find out more here.

Did you know that more and more jobs are opening up for people with computer coding experience? Join our Introduction to Computer Code absolutely free and learn the basics. You could be the next Mark Zuckerburg or Bill Gates. Find out more here.

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